Close-conforming vehicle floor tray with reservoir

ABSTRACT

A vehicle floor tray is molded from a thermoplastic polymer sheet such that it has high shear and tensile strength, an acceptable degree of stiffness and a high coefficient of friction on its upper surface. The floor tray design is digitally fitted to a foot well of a particular model of vehicle such that a lower surface of the tray is no more than one-half of an inch from a digitally acquired model of the foot well surface.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/261,700 filed Oct. 28, 2005, which is acontinuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/976,441filed Oct. 29, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,847, the specification anddrawings of which are fully incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Motor vehicles are almost always operated in the out of doors and arefrequently parked there. It is therefore very common for their occupantsto have wet or muddy feet—if the occupants have not just finished anoutdoor activity, at least they have had to walk across a possibly wet,snowy or muddy surface to access their vehicles. For decades, therefore,vehicle owners have been attempting to protect the enclosed interiors oftheir vehicles (cars, trucks, SUVs) from what they themselves track intothem. The conventional solution to this has been to provide a vehiclefloor mat which may be periodically removed by the owner and cleaned.

Human beings have a tendency to move their feet around, and foot motionis an absolute requirement in operating most vehicles. This has caused aproblem, in that the occupants of a vehicle have a tendency to pusharound the floor mats with their feet. The floor mats end up not beingcentered on the area protected, or pushed up so as to occlude the gas,brake or clutch pedals, or bunched up or folded over—all undesirableconditions. One objective of floor mat manufacturers has therefore beento provide a floor mat that will stay put and which will not adverselyaffect vehicle operation.

The foot wells of cars, trucks and SUVs vary in size in shape from onemodel of vehicle to the next. Floor mat manufacturers have noticed thatfloor mats which at least approximately conform to the shape of thebottom surface of the foot well stay in place better and offer moreprotection. It is also common for such floor mats, where provided forfront seat foot wells, to have portions which are meant to lie againstthe firewalls or front surfaces of the foot wells. Even as so extendedit is not too hard to provide a floor mat of flexible material that willapproximately conform to these two surfaces, as the designer only has tomark a two-dimensional periphery of the mat in providing one which willfit reasonably well.

More recently, vehicle floor trays have come onto the market. Mostfront-seat vehicle foot wells are actually three-dimensional concaveshapes, typically with complex curved surfaces. Floor trays havesidewalls that offer enhanced protection to the surfaces surrounding thevehicle floor, as might be needed against wearers with very muddy orsnowy shoes. Conventional vehicle floor trays try to fit into thesethree-dimensional cavities, but so far their fit to the surfaces thatthey are supposed to protect has been less than optimum. A conventionalvehicle floor tray is typically molded of a single-ply rubber or plasticmaterial, exhibits enough stiffness to retain a three-dimensional shape,but is also at least somewhat flexible. Fitting such a tray to thecomplex three-dimensional surface of a vehicle foot well has proven tobe difficult, and many products currently in the marketplace havelimited consumer acceptance because of their loose fit inside the footwell. There is often, and in many places, a considerable space betweenthe exterior wall of these conventional trays and the interior surfaceof the foot well. This causes the wall to noticeably deform when theoccupant's foot contacts it. Vehicle owners have a tendency to dislikefloor trays which rattle, deform, shift and flop about.

One conventional tray molding process is believed to take a casting ormale impression of the vehicle foot well surface and to produce a moldbased on that casting. This casting necessitates substantial and uniformcompression of the vehicle carpet pile and subsequently causes aninexactness of fit. Floor trays produced by this process also have beenrelatively shallow, perhaps due to limitations inherent in using acasting fluid which then solidifies. This process has not been used totake an impression of a door sill or sill curve adjacent the foot well,or to create a floor tray that protects these surfaces.

A need therefore persists for a floor tray that will have a more exactfit to the vehicle foot well for which it is provided, that stays inplace once it is installed, and that provides a more solid and certainfeel to the occupants' feet.

Some vehicle floor mats that are now on the market have fluid reservoirsbuilt into them. Particularly in cold or wet climates, dirty water has atendency to be shed onto the floor mat, where it persists until itevaporates. If there is enough of it, it will leak off of the floor matand stain the carpeting of the foot well that the mat was meant toprotect. These reservoirs typically are recessed areas in the mats thatprovide the mats with an enhanced ability to retain snow-melt and thelike, until the water evaporates or can be disposed of by the vehicleowner or user. One advanced design places treads in the middle of thereservoir, such that the feet of the occupant are held above any fluidthat the reservoir collects. But including such a reservoir within afloor tray that otherwise has an acceptable fit to the three-dimensionalsurface of a vehicle foot well has not yet been done, since there areproblems in incorporating a three-dimensional liquid-holding vessel intoa product that ideally conforms, on its lower surface, to the surface ofthe foot well. Further, a reservoir which collects drip water from alarge surface, such as a vehicle floor tray, will exhibit more problemsin keeping the collected fluid from sloshing about in a moving vehiclethan a reservoir in a mat of more limited area.

Conventional vehicle floor mats and trays are molded from a singlerubber or plastic material. The selection of this material is controlledby its cost, its resistance to shear forces, its tensile strength, itsabrasion resistance, its ability to conform to the surface of thevehicle foot well, its sound-deadening properties and how slippery ornonslippery it is relative to the occupants' feet, with nonslipperiness(having a relatively high coefficient of friction) being advantageous.Often the designer must make tradeoffs among these different designconstraints in specifying the material from which the tray or mat is tobe made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehiclefloor cover, mat or tray which is removably installable by a consumerand which is formed of at least three layers that are bonded together,preferably by coextrusion. The three layers include a central layerwhose composition is distinct from a bottom layer and a top layer.Preferably, all three layers are formed of thermoplastic polymermaterials. In another aspect of the invention, the top layer exhibits akinetic coefficient of friction with respect to a sample meant toemulate a typical shoe outsole (neoprene rubber, Shore A Durometer 60)of at least about 0.82.

Preferably, a major portion of the central layer is a polyolefin. Morepreferably, the polyolefin is either a polypropylene or a polyethylene.Most preferably, the polyolefin is a high molecular weight polyethylene(HMPE) as herein defined. In an alternative embodiment, the centrallayer can be a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) or anacrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymer blend.

Preferably, a major portion of the top layer is a thermoplasticelastomer, such as one of the publicly available but proprietarycompositions sold under the trademarks SANTOPRENE®, GEOLAST® and VYRAM®.VYRAMQ®R is particularly preferred. In another embodiment, a majorportion of the top layer can be an ABS polymer blend. Where ABS is usedin both the top and central layers, it is preferred that the amount ofthe polybutadiene phase in the top layer be greater than the amount ofthis phase in the central layer.

It is further preferred that a major portion of the bottom layerlikewise be a thermoplastic elastomer, and conveniently it can be, butdoes not have to be, of the same composition as the major portion of thetop layer.

Preferably one or more of the layers is actually a polymer blend, inwhich a minor portion is preselected for its coextrusion compatibilitywith the adjacent layer(s). Thus, a minor portion of the top and bottomlayers can consist of a polyolefin, while a minor portion of the centrallayer can consist of a thermoplastic elastomer. In each case, it ispreferred that the minor portion be no more than about one part in fourby weight of each layer, or a weight ratio of 1:3. Where all threelayers are preselected to be ABS blends, the amount of polybutadiene inthe blend preferably is decreased in the central layer relative to thetop and bottom layers.

While the preferred embodiment of the vehicle floor cover consists ofthree integral layers, any one of the recited layers can in fact be madeup of two or more sublayers, such that the total number of sublayers inthe resultant mat or tray can exceed three.

In another embodiment, the thermoplastic elastomer constituent of thetop, central and/or bottom layers described above can be replaced with anatural or synthetic rubber, including styrene butadiene rubber,butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) or ethylenepropylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM).

According to a related aspect of the invention, a vehicle floor cover isprovided that has three layers bonded together, preferably bycoextrusion. Major portions of the top and bottom layer consist ofthermoplastic elastomer(s). The top and bottom layers have compositionsdistinct from the central layer, which can be chosen for its relativelylow expense. It is preferred that a major portion of the central layerbe a polyolefin and that major portions of the top and bottom layers beone or more thermoplastic elastomers. The polyolefin may be selectedfrom the group consisting of polypropylene and polyethylene, andpreferably is a high molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE). Thethermoplastic elastomer can, for example, be SANTOPRENE®, GEOLAST® orVYRAMQ®, with VYRAMQ® being particularly preferred. It is also preferredthat each of the layers be a polymer blend, with a minor portion of eachlayer being chosen for its coextrusion compatibility with adjacentlayers. For example, the top and bottom layers can consist of a 3:1weight ratio of VYRAM®/HMPE, and the central layer of a 3:1 weight ratioof HMPE VYRAM®.

In an embodiment alternative to the one above, the top and bottom layerscan consist of ABS polymer blends and the central layer can consist ofSAN or an ABS in which the polybutadiene phase is present in a smallerconcentration than in the top and bottom layers.

In yet another embodiment, the thermoplastic elastomer recited in thisaspect of the invention may be replaced with a natural or syntheticrubber, such as styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), butadiene rubber,acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) or ethylene propylene rubber(EPDM).

In a further aspect of the invention, a vehicle floor tray or mataccording to the invention is made of three layers, wherein a top layerand a bottom layer have composition(s) distinct from the central layer,and wherein at least one of the shear strength per cross-sectional area,tensile strength per cross-sectional area and stiffness percross-sectional area is greater than any one of the layers from whichthe tray or mat is composed. It has been found that a triextrudedvehicle mat or floor tray according to the invention exhibits a tensilestrength at yield, a tensile stress at break, a tensile modulus, a shearstrength and a flexural modulus (stiffness) which are superior to eithera polyolefin-dominated single extrusion or a thermoplasticelastomer-dominated single extrusion. The triextrusion tray demonstratesthese enhanced physical properties while at the same time affording anenhanced coefficient of friction to the feet of the occupant andimproved tactile properties. By presenting such a surface to the shoe ofthe driver or passenger, the footing of the driver or passenger will bemore sure and comfortable.

In a further aspect of the invention, a vehicle foot well tray isprovided as a part of a system that has the vehicle foot well as itsother main component. The tray has a greatly enhanced conformance to thesurface of the vehicle foot well for which it is provided. At least twoupstanding walls of the tray, both extending from the tray floor to atop margin, conform to respective surfaces of the vehicle foot well suchthat at least within that one-third of the area of the outer surface ofthese upstanding walls of the tray which is adjacent the top margin, 90%of that top third area departs by no more than about one-eighth of aninch (0.317 cm) from the foot well surfaces to which they mate. Theseupstanding tray surfaces may be opposed surfaces or adjacent surfaces,and preferably are both. In one embodiment in which the tray extends tocover a vehicle door sill, the tray departs from a door sill surface ofthe vehicle foot well, and/or a sill curve of the vehicle foot well, byabout 0.025 inches (0.064 cm). The upstanding sidewalls of the floortray conform to the foot well surfaces which they cover, even where suchfoot well surfaces present both concave and convex surface elements.

In another embodiment of the invention, a tray fits into a vehicle footwell such that, when a vehicle foot well surface model replicating thevehicle foot well surface, preferably as it exists in a substantiallyuncompressed condition, is superimposed to best fit to the lower surfaceof the tray, at least ninety percent of the lower surface of the tray iswithin 0.25 inch (0.635 cm) of the vehicle foot well surface model.Preferably, at least fifty percent of this lower tray surface isdisposed within 0.125 inch (0.317 cm) of this model. The tray includes areservoir within its aft two-thirds and which occupies between ten andfifty percent of the upper tray surface. A circumferential wall of thetray reservoir is at least 0.050″ (0.127 cm) deep and more preferably is0.25 inches (0.635 cm) deep.

In a still further aspect of the invention, a top margin of a vehiclefloor tray is substantially coplanar on at least two upstandingsidewalls thereof. Preferably, the top margin of the tray issubstantially coplanar through three or even four continuous upstandingsidewalls. This eases the design of the floor tray, increases hoopstrength and assures that all upstanding surfaces of the vehicle footwell will receive adequate protection from muddy footwear. In aparticularly preferred embodiment, the plane of the top margin isforwardly and upwardly tilted relative to a horizontal floor. Thisprovides enhanced protection to the vehicle foot well precisely in theplace where muddy footwear are likely to be, near the accelerator, brakeand clutch pedals or the firewall, while allowing movement of the seat.In a preferred embodiment, the tray is at least four inches (10.1 cm)deep at its deepest part.

In a still further aspect of the invention, the above mentioned tighttolerances are made possible by a novel vehicle floor tray manufacturingmethod and system. In a first step according to the invention, points ona surface of the vehicle foot well are digitally measured with acoordinate measuring machine (CMM). These points are stored in acomputer memory. A foot well surface is generated which includes thesepoints, preferably by connecting linear groups of the points together byusing B-splines, and lofting between the B-splines to create arealportions of the foot well surface. Using this typically complexthree-dimensional, predominately concave surface, which may have severalconcavely and convexly curved portions, a corresponding, substantiallyconvex outer or lower floor tray surface is created such that in manyregions, the distance between the outer surface of the tray and thesurface of the foot well is no more than about one eighth of an inch(0.317 cm), insuring a snug fit.

In one embodiment of the invention, a reservoir is incorporated into thetray floor as a collection and evaporation area for drip water from thefeet and legs of the occupant. Combination baffles/treads are providedin the reservoir to impede lateral movement of the collected fluid.Longitudinal and transverse portions of these baffles are joinedtogether. Channels are cut into another portion of the central area ofthe tray to direct fluid to the reservoir, such that the bottom of thechannels is beneath a general tray floor surface but above the bottom ofthe reservoir. In a preferred driver's side embodiment, the channels areomitted from a portion of the floor tray upper surface to leave a blankspace where the driver's heel will rest when operating the gas and brakepedals.

In a second process and system according to the invention, a vehiclefoot well surface model is constructed by digitally measuring andstoring points on an actual vehicle foot well surface, preferably onewhich is substantially uncompressed. The digital measurement steppreferably is one which does not compress the surface being measured.This foot well surface model is replicated to begin creating a generallower surface of the vehicle floor tray. Within a predeterminedreservoir area, the vehicle foot well surface model is downwardlyprojected by at least 0.050 inch (0.127 cm) and more preferably by about0.25 inch (0.635 cm) from the general lower surface of the tray in orderto create a lower surface of the tray image within the reservoir area.Preferably, and within an adjacent, predetermined channel area, aplurality of elongate, spaced-apart, parallel channels are defined, andthese channels are down-projected by a depth which is less than thedepth of the reservoir boundary. As so modified, the three-dimensionalimage of the lower surface of the tray is used to construct a mold. Themold in turn is used to manufacture vehicle floor trays from sheets ofthermoplastic material.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the compressibility of thevehicle foot well surface (which typically is formed by a carpet pile)is taken advantage of by creating a vehicle floor tray lower surfacethat, in many places, intentionally is in “negative standoff” with thevehicle floor surface model that it is designed to fit. That is, when animage of the lower surface of the vehicle floor tray is mathematicallysuperimposed onto the vehicle floor surface model in a way that achievesthe best fit between the two, some areas of the floor tray lower surfacewill be above the surface of the vehicle floor surface model, and otherareas will be below it. “Negative standoff” is advantageously used inincorporating the reservoir and channels into the design, and may alsobe used in areas of the tray where a very tight fit with the actualfloor surface is desired, such as around the accelerator and brakepedals. The system and method of the invention permit this intentionaluse of “negative standoff”, while older design methods do not. Sincevehicle carpet pile may be nonuniformly and variably compressed from onearea to the next, this use of “negative standoff” results in a moldedfloor tray, with channel and reservoir features, that actually fitsbetter to the vehicle foot well for which it is designed than if thisconcept is not used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the invention and their advantages can be discernedin the following detailed description, in which like characters denotelike parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment of a vehicle floor trayaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the floor tray illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric and transverse sectional view of the floor trayseen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the section taken substantially along line 3-3 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an isometric and longitudinal sectional view of the floor trayshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the section taken substantially along line 4-4of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the tray illustrated in FIG. 1, taken from theouter side;

FIG. 6 is a highly magnified sectional detail of a vehicle floor tray,showing triextruded layers;

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram showing steps in a first design andmanufacturing process according to the invention; and

FIG. 8 is an isometric and schematic view of a digitally acquiredvehicle foot well floor surface from which the illustrated floor traywas made;

FIG. 9 is a partly transverse sectional, partly isometric view of boththe floor tray illustrated in FIG. 2 and the vehicle foot well surfaceillustrated in FIG. 8, taken substantially along line 9-9 of FIG. 2 andsubstantially along line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a partly transverse sectional, partly isometric view of boththe floor tray illustrated in FIG. 2 and the vehicle foot well surfaceillustrated in FIG. 8, taken substantially along line 10-10 of FIG. 2and substantially along line 10-10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a detail of a firewall region of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a detail of a seat pedestal region of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a partly longitudinal sectional, partly isometric view ofboth the floor tray illustrated in FIG. 2 and the vehicle foot wellsurface illustrated in FIG. 8, taken substantially along line 13-13 ofFIG. 2 and substantially along line 13-13 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a detail of a kick plate region of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of a vehicle floortray according to the invention, shaded to show regions of the traywhere the lower surface of the tray is outside of a first predeterminedtolerance with respect to a modeled vehicle foot well surface;

FIG. 16 is an isometric view of the floor tray shown in FIG. 15, shownfrom another point of view;

FIG. 17 is an isometric view of the tray shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, butshaded to show regions of the tray where the tray lower surface isoutside of a second predetermined tolerance with respect to the modeledvehicle foot well surface;

FIG. 18 is an isometric view of the tray as shaded in FIG. 17, but fromthe point of view shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 19 is a part-isometric, part transverse sectional view takensubstantially along Line 19-19 of FIG. 17, superimposed on a likeportion of the modeled vehicle foot well surface;

FIG. 20 is a part-isometric, part transverse sectional view takensubstantially along Line 20-20 of FIG. 17, superimposed on a likeportion of the modeled vehicle foot well surface occurring in the samesectional plane;

FIG. 20A is a detail of FIG. 20;

FIG. 21 is a part-isometric, part-longitudinal sectional view takensubstantially along Line 21-21 of FIG. 17, superimposed on a likeportion of the modeled vehicle foot well surface;

FIGS. 21A and 21B are details of FIG. 21;

FIG. 22 is a part-isometric, part-longitudinal sectional view takensubstantially along Line 22-22 of FIG. 17, superimposed on a likeportion of the modeled vehicle foot well surface;

FIG. 22A is a detail of FIG. 22;

FIG. 23 is an isometric view of the vehicle floor tray shown in FIGS.15-22A, shaded to show those portions of the vehicle floor tray lowersurface which are in “negative standoff” relative to the modeled vehiclefoot well surface, once the tray lower surface has been best-fit to themodel;

FIG. 24 is an isometric view of the vehicle floor tray as shaded in

FIG. 23, but taken from the point of view shown in FIG. 16; and

FIG. 25 is a schematic flow diagram of steps in a second design andmanufacturing process according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An isometric view of one commercial embodiment is shown in FIG. 1. Theillustrated vehicle floor tray indicated generally at 100 is preferablymolded from a blank, in sheet form, of water-impervious thermoplasticpolymer material having a substantially uniform thickness, although thepresent invention could be fabricated from another process such asinjection molding. The floor tray 100 is preferably formed of atriextruded thermoplastic material such that the properties of a centralor core layer can be different than the properties of the external orjacket layers, and such that the triextrusion is tougher and stiffer perunit thickness than any of the layers from which it is made, as will bedescribed in more detail below.

The vehicle floor tray or cover 100 is meant to protect both the floorand at least the lower sides of a vehicle foot well, and thus takes on amuch more three-dimensional shape than is typical of prior art floormats. The floor tray 100 includes a floor or central panel 102, which inthe illustrated embodiment includes a plurality of fore-to-aft orlongitudinal parallel straight channels 104 that are disposed in aforward region 106 of the floor panel 102. Preferably these channels areabout an eighth of an inch (0.317 cm.) deep so that they will correctlychannel runoff, and can be about one-quarter of an inch (0.635 cm.)wide. In FIG. 1, forward is a direction to the upper left, whilerearward or aft is the direction to the lower right, and the terms areused in conformance with the orientation of the vehicle in which thetray is designed to be placed. As used herein, “longitudinal” meansfor-and-aft or along the axis of vehicle travel, while “transverse”means at a ninety degree angle to such an axis, or side-to-side.

A rearward, aft or back region 108 of the floor panel 102 is largelyoccupied by a reservoir 110, whose bottom is made up (in thisembodiment) by a substantially planar general surface 112. Generalsurface 112 is situated to be below a general surface 114 of the forwardregion 106. Preferably, the general bottom reservoir surface 112 is alsobelow the bottommost points of the respective channels 104, as by aboutone-eighth of an inch (0.317 cm), so that fluid in the channels 104 willempty into the reservoir 110.

The channels 104 are designed to channel liquid runoff from the user'sfeet or footwear to the reservoir 110. In many vehicles, the portion ofthe vehicle floor (not shown in this Figure; see FIGS. 8-11) whichunderlies the forward region 106 slopes from front to rear, and thus thetray 100, by simply conforming to the contour of the underlying vehiclefloor portion, will channel fluid to the reservoir. For those vehicledesigns in which the underlying vehicle floor is not pitched in thismanner, the tray 100 can advantageously be designed to create this fluidflow, as by making the material thicker in portion 106 than in portion108, or by giving the bottoms of channels 104 a front-to-rear slope.

The channels 104 occupy most of the forward region 106, although in thisand other commercial driver's side embodiments a space 116 on theforward right hand side has been left open to receive the foot of thedriver that operates the accelerator and brake pedals. In theillustrated embodiment, this space or clear area 116 is a delimited by a180 degree arc of a circle of about four inch radius (shown in dashedline). The clear area 116 is provided so that the relatively deepchannels 104 do not catch the heel of the driver's shoe. In otherembodiments, the clear area 116 can take other shapes or positions, solong as the heels of almost all drivers, while operating the brake andaccelerator pedals of the vehicle for which the particular tray isdesigned, will rest within its confines.

The reservoir 110 has interspersed within it a plurality of treadsurfaces or baffles 118, which have two purposes. The first purpose isto elevate the shoe or foot of the occupant above any fluid which mayhave collected in the reservoir 110. The second purpose is to preventthis accumulated fluid from sloshing around. To this end, most of thetread surfaces/baffles 118 have both fore-to-aft or longitudinalportions 120 and side-to-side or transverse portions 122. This preventslarge fluid movement in a forward or rearward direction, as wouldotherwise happen during acceleration or braking of the vehicle, and alsolarge fluid movement side-to-side, as would otherwise happen when thevehicle is turning. Preferably, each or at least most of the fore-to-aftportions 120 are joined to respective side-to-side portions. Thisfurther compartmentalizes and restricts the movement of collected fluid.Fluid in one portion of the reservoir 110 may make its way only slowlyand through a complicated path to another distant portion of thereservoir 110, through channels 124 around the ends of the treads orbaffles 118. The reservoir design thus creates a large surface areawhich promotes evaporation of the fluid, while at the same timerestricts fluid movement prior to such evaporation.

Disposed around and integrally formed with the central or floor panel102 are a series of upstanding side panels, which will vary in numberand configuration from one vehicle model to the next. In thisillustrated embodiment these upstanding panels include a back panel 130that is disposed adjacent the bottom of a vehicle front seat, or avehicle pedestal for receiving same; an inner side panel 132 thatclosely fits a transmission tunnel or “hump” in this vehicle; a forwardpanel 134 that closely conforms to a vehicle firewall; and an outer sidepanel 136. In most embodiments, the outer side panel or kick plate panel136 will only extend from its transition with panel 134 to a corner 138,at which point there begins a door sill curve 208 which transitions intoa door sill panel 140. Unlike the other panels, the sill panel 140 isnot generally upstanding but instead conforms to the sill of a vehicledoor and lies in a substantially horizontal plane. In this way occupantingress and egress is not occluded. In many embodiments, including theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-14, the sill panel 140 is at anelevation below that of the general surface 114 of the floor forwardregion 106 and even below the general surface (bottom) 112 of thereservoir 110. Very large amounts of fluid (in excess of the reservoircapacity) will therefore flow right out of the vehicle without havingthe opportunity to damage the vehicle interior. It should be noted thatin these FIGUREs, the lines dividing the panels are conceptual only anddo not appear in the final part. As will be described in further detailbelow, the tray 100 preferably is integrally molded as a one-piececonstruction.

In one important aspect of the invention, the tray 100 is closely fittedto the vehicle foot well in which it is designed to be placed. Panels130, 132, 134, 136 and 140 are all formed so as to as closely conform tothe vehicle surfaces against which they are positioned, to an extent notfound in prior art vehicle floor trays. In a preferred embodiment, atleast throughout the top one-third of the areas of these panels that isadjacent a vehicle tray top margin 150, at least ninety percent of thepoints on the outer surface of the peripheral or side panels 130-136 areno more than about one-eighth of an inch (0.317 cm) from thecorresponding points on the surfaces that they are formed to mate with.This close conformance occurs even where the underlying vehicularsurface is complexly curved or angled. Certain portions of the vehiclefoot well surface, such as kick plate transition plate 214, can haveboth convexly and concavely curved elements. The preferred tolerance ofdoor sill curve 208 and sill plate 140 is even tighter, about 0.025 in.(0.064 cm).

The close conformance of the tray side panels to respective surfaces ofthe vehicle foot well produces a protective tray which will not behorizontally displaced under lateral forces created by the occupant'sfeet, or by the motion of the vehicle. Opposing pairs of the peripheralpanels “nest” or “cage” the tray 100, preventing its lateral movement.Thus, outer side panel or kick plate panel 136, which closely conformsto a vehicle side wall at that position, has as its counterpart aportion 142 of the inner side panel 132. Any tendency of the tray 100 toshift leftward is stopped by panel 136; any tendency of the tray 100 toshift rightward is stopped by panel portion 142. In a similar manner,the upstanding rearward and forward panels 130 and 134 cooperate to“cage” any forward or rearward motion of the tray 100 within the vehiclefoot well.

The close conformance of the outer or lower surfaces of panels 130-136,218, 140 to their respective mating surfaces of the vehicle foot wellalso increases the frictional force which will oppose any lateralmovement. The result of this close conformance is to provide a floortray which will not undesirably shift position, and which will provide asteady and sure rest to the feet of the occupants.

In most commercial embodiments of the vehicle floor tray 100, the sidepanels 130-136, 140 will not be formed to abruptly extend from thebottom panel 102, but rather will be joined to the bottom or centralpanel 102 through transitions. These transitions may be sloped or curvedand will have a varying degree of gradualness. According to theinvention, the transitions between the outer and bottom surfaces of thetray 100 conform wherever possible to underlying surfaces of the vehiclefoot adjacent these transitions.

In FIG. 2, for example, there is seen a large transition or subpanel 200which extends from forward portion 106. A further subpanel 202 joinstransitional subpanel 202 to the forward sidewall 134. Inner ortransmission tunnel sidewall 132 is joined to the pan 102 through acurved transitional fillet 204. The rear upstanding panel 130 is joinedto the rear portion of bottom panel 102 through a small transition 206.A transition or sill curve 208 between the outer sidewall 136 and thesill panel 140 takes the form of a gradual curved surface.

The present invention also employs (typically) curved transitionsbetween adjacent side panels. For example, a curved transition 210 joinsthe back panel 130 to the inner side panel 132. A curved transition 212joins the transmission tunnel or inner side panel 132 to the front orfirewall panel 134. A transition 214, which in the illustratedembodiment takes the shape of an S-curve and conforms to a portion ofthe vehicle wheel well, joins the front panel 134 to the outer sidepanel 136. The close conformance (preferably to a tolerance of about ⅛in. or 0.317 cm) wherever possible to the transitions of the vehiclefoot well surface by the outer surface of the tray 100 enhances a closefit.

In the illustrated embodiment, the tray according to the invention hasbeen made by heating a sheet of substantially uniformly thicktriextruded thermoplastic material until soft and then sucking thesoftened sheet into a female mold upon application of a vacuum. Whenthis process is used, discrete layers having different characteristicscan persist into the final product, as will be described in more detailbelow. On the other hand, as using this manufacturing process it isdifficult to provide the channels and reservoir structure according toone aspect of the invention while closely conforming the bottom surface300 (FIGS. 3 and 4) to a mating surface of the vehicle foot well. Inthis central area, and according to a first manufacturing process, adeparture away from ⅛ in. (0.317 cm) tolerance is made in order toobtain the above-described benefits of fluid flow and retention. Butbecause the side panels 130-136, 140 and their associated transitionscontinue to closely conform to most of the remaining vehicle foot wellsurfaces, the tray 100 continues to be locked in one place.

FIGS. 9-14 superimpose a floor tray 100 on a surface 802 of a vehiclefoot well for which the tray is designed according to the invention. Inthe part-isometric, part-longitudinal sectional view seen in FIG. 10, Itcan be seen that on the section taken there is a quite tight conformanceof the lower surface 300 of the tray 100 to the modeled surface 802 ofthe vehicle foot well. As best seen in FIG. 11, the outer surface of thefirewall sidewall 134 stays within one-eighth of an inch (0.317 cm) ofthe firewall surface 826 for at least three-quarters of the length ofsurface 826 as measured from the top margin 150 of the tray. In areas1000, 1002 and 1004 (FIG. 10), the modeled surface 802 of the vehiclefoot well is actually above or to the interior to the tray 100. Thisnegative interference or standoff is tolerable and in some instances iseven desirable because in most applications the surface 802 is that of avehicle carpet, which can or even should be selectively depressed uponthe installation of the tray 100 into the vehicle foot well. Such atight fit is particularly desirable, for example, in the region of thetray around the accelerator pedal.

FIG. 12 is a detail of FIG. 10 in the area of the seat pedestal and aportion of the reservoir 110. Once again, there is a very tightconformance of the outer surface of the back panel 130 to the modeledseat pedestal surface 828 throughout most of its length on this section,well within ⅛ inch (0.317 cm)

FIG. 13 shows a side-to-side or transverse section taken in a relativelyforward location, so as to cut through the kick plate tray and foot wellsurfaces 136, 830 on one side and the tray and foot well transmissiontunnel surfaces 132, 810 on the other. As can be seen, tolerance towithin ⅛ of an inch (0.317 cm) is maintained at least for the upperone-third of the surface area of these mating surfaces. Areas 1000, 1002(partially represented in FIG. 13) and 1006 are areas of negativestandoff or interference in which the modeled surface 802 of the vehiclefoot well is positioned interiorly of the outer or lower surface of thevehicle tray 100. As above explained, this mismatch is permissibleparticularly if held to ⅛ inch (0.317 cm) or less, and is even desirablein some points, because the model surface 802 is an image of vehiclecarpeting rather than a hard surface.

In FIG. 14, there is seen at 1400 an intentional increase of radius ofthe transition between kick plate panel 136 and bottom wall 102. This isdone because, for the model shown, the foot well kick plate surface 830is both vertical and is relatively deep. Therefore, sidewall 136 needsto have a draft of at least two degrees (and more preferably fivedegrees) relative to the vertical surface 830 to insure that the wall ofthe tray 100 as molded will remain acceptably thick enough at thejunction of walls 136, 102. The increase of the radius 1400 accomplishesthis. Nonetheless, even on this section the outer surface of the kickplate 136 stays within one-eighth of an inch (0.317 cm) of the kickplate surface 830 for at least one-third of the length, as measured fromtop margin 150.

More generally, at least about ninety percent of that top one-third ofthe surface area of each sidewall 130-136 that is adjacent the topmargin 150 stays within ⅛ in. (0.317 cm) of the vehicle foot wellsurfaces with which they are designed to mate. Alternatively, aboutninety percent or more of the top one-half of the outer surface area ofall upstanding sidewalls is within this ⅛ inch (0.317 cm) tolerance ofrespective foot well surfaces. In even a further alternative measurementof tolerance, it is preferred that at least about fifty percent of theouter area of the upstanding sidewalls 130-136 be within ⅛ inch (0.317cm) of the vehicle foot wells to which they correspond, regardless ofposition relative to the top margin 150.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 5 and 10, a top margin 150 of the tray 100,which terminates all of the upstanding sidewalls 130, 132, 134, 136 and138, substantially lies in a single plane which is tilted forwardlyupwardly relative to the horizontal plane. The continuous nature of thetop margin 150 means that the produced tray 100 has a higher hoopstrength, and better protects the vehicle carpeting from dirt or mud onthe sides of the occupant's feet. The occupant's feet tend to occupypositions on the forward region 106, but the position of the top margin150 around this region is high, being at least four inches (10.1 cm) andin some embodiments five inches (12.7 cm) removed from the floor of thetray at its greatest separation.

Composition

According to one aspect of the invention, it is preferred that the trayor cover 100 not be of uniform composition throughout, but rather be alaminate having at least three layers which are bonded together. Apreferred composition of the tray 100 is shown in the highly magnifiedsectional detail shown in FIG. 6. In this illustrated embodiment, thetray 100 consists of a top layer 600, a central or core layer 602, and abottom layer 604. All three layers 600-604 preferably consist of one ormore water-impervious thermoplastic polymers, but layers 600 and 604have properties which are at least different from those of core layer602 and may even have properties which are different from each other.The trilayer cover is shown to be a three-dimensional floor tray in thedrawings, but can also be a more two-dimensional floor mat of morelimited coverage. Top layer 600 is made from a material selected for itstactile properties, its relatively high static and dynamic coefficientsof friction with respect to typical footwear, and its resistance tochemical attack from road salt and other substances into which it maycome into contact. Top layer 600 preferably includes a major portion ofa thermoplastic elastomer such as VYRAM®, SANTOPRENE® or GEOLAST®, whichare proprietary compositions available from Advanced Elastomer Systems.VYRAMQ® is preferred, particularly Grade 101-75 (indicating a Shore Ahardness of 75). An upper surface 606 of the top layer 600 may betextured by a “haircell” pattern or the like so as to provide a pleasingtactile feel and visual appearance, as may a lower surface of the bottomlayer 604.

It is preferred that top layer 600 be a polymer blend, in which instancea minor portion of the composition of the top layer 600 is selected forits coextrusion compatibility with core layer 602. A polyolefin polymeris preferred, such as polypropylene or more preferably polyethylene,even more particularly a high molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE). Asused herein, HMPE is defined to mean a commodity product, available frommany sources, and distinguished in the industry from low densitypolyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) by itsapproximate properties:

Characteristic LDPE HDPE HMPE Specific Gravity, ASTM D-792 0.918 0.960.95 Tensile Modulus, ASTM D-638, psi 22,500 95,000 125,000 TensileStrength @ Yield, ASTM D-638, psi 1,800 4,500 3,600-3,700 FlexuralModulus, ASTM D-790, psi 225,000 165,000-175,000 Hardness, ASTM D-2240,Shore D 45 66 68

In the above table, the testing methods by which the properties aredetermined are given for the purpose of reproducibility.

Particularly where the thermoplastic elastomer and the polyolefin arerespectively selected as VYRAMQ® and HMPE, the proportion by weight ofthe thermoplastic elastomer to polyolefin material in layer 600 ispreferably selected to be about 3:1. It has been discovered that somepolyolefin material needs to be present in layer 600 for coextrusioncompatibility with central layer 602, in the instance where a majorportion of the layer 602 is also a polyolefin.

In an alternative embodiment, the thermoplastic elastomer component ofthe top layer 600 may be replaced with an elastomer such as naturalrubber, acryl-nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), styrene butadiene rubber(SBR), or ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM).

In a further alternative embodiment, layer 600 can be an acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene (ABS) blend. ABS is a material in which submicroscopicparticles of polybutadiene are dispersed in a phase of styreneacrylonitrile (SAN) copolymer. For layer 600, the percentage by weightof polybutadiene, which lends elastomeric properties to the material,should be chosen as relatively high.

The core or central layer 602 preferably is composed of a thermoplasticpolymer material that is selected for its toughness, stiffness andinexpensiveness rather than its tactile or frictional properties.Preferably a major portion of it is a polyolefin such as polypropyleneor polyethylene. More preferably, a major portion of the layer 602 iscomposed of HMPE as that material has been defined above.

It is preferred that the central layer 602 be a blend, and in thatinstance a minor portion of layer 602 is composed of a material selectedfor its coextrusion compatibility with top layer 600 (and bottom layer604 described below). In the illustrated embodiment, this minor portionis a thermoplastic elastomer such as SANTOPRENE®, GEOLAST® or VYRAM®.VYRAMQ® Grade 101-75 is particularly preferred. For layer 602, andparticularly where the polyolefin and the thermoplastic elastomer arerespectively selected as HMPE and VYRAM®, the proportion by weight ofpolyolefin to thermoplastic elastomer is preferred to be about 3:1. Moregenerally, the percentages of the minor portions in layers 600 and 602(and layer 604) are selected as being the minimum necessary for goodcoextrusion compatibility.

In an alternative embodiment, where layer 600 has been chosen as apolybutadiene-rich layer of ABS, layer 602 is chosen as a grade of ABShaving less of a percentage by weight of polybutadiene in it, or none atall (effectively, styrene acrylonitrile copolymer or SAN).

Bottom layer 604 has a lower surface 300 which will be adjacent thevehicle foot well top surface. Typically, this surface is carpeted. Thebottom layer 604 is a thermoplastic polymer material selected for itswear characteristics, as well as its sound-deadening qualities and ayieldability that allows the layer 604 to better grip “hard points” inthe vehicle foot well surface as well as conform to foot well surfaceirregularities. Preferably, a major portion of the layer 604 is composedof a thermoplastic elastomer, such as SANTOPRENE®, GEOLAST® or,preferably, VYRAM®. VYRAMQ® Grade 101-75 is particularly preferred.

It is preferred that the bottom layer 604 be a polymer blend. In thisinstance, a minor portion of the bottom layer 604 is selected for itscoextrusion compatibility with the core layer 602. Where core layer 602is mostly made of a polyolefin material, it is preferred that apolyolefin be used as the minor portion of the bottom layer 604. Thispolyolefin can be, for example, polypropylene or polyethylene, andpreferably is HMPE. The amount of the minor portion is selected to bethat minimum amount that assures good coextrusion compatibility. Wherethe polyolefin and the thermoplastic elastomer are respectively chosento be HMPE and VYRAM®, it has been found that the thermoplasticelastomer:polyolefin ratio by weight in the layer 604 should be about3:1.

In an alternative embodiment, the thermoplastic elastomer component oflayer 604 may be replaced with a rubber, such as natural rubber, NBR,SBR or EPDM.

In another alternative embodiment, where the central layer 602 has beenselected as ABS or SAN, layer 604 can be selected as a grade of ABSwhich has a higher percentage by weight of polybutadiene in it than incentral layer 602.

Bottom jacketing layer 604 conveniently can have the same composition astop jacketing layer 600, but the two jacketing layers do not have to besimilar. What is important is that, where the tray 100 is to be formedas a triextrusion (as is preferred), layers 600, 602 and 604 besufficiently compatible that they can be triextruded as a single sheet.

It is preferred that most of the thickness of the tray 100 be made up bythe core layer 602, which is used as the principal structural componentof the tray 100. The core layer 602 has at least minimally acceptabletensile strength, shear strength and high flexural modulus, while at thesame time being significantly less expensive than the thermoplasticelastomer-dominated jacketing layers 600, 604. The jacketing layers 600and 604 are selected to present good wear surfaces and to have a goodresistance to chemical attack from substances such as road salt. Toplayer 600 is selected to exhibit a relatively high coefficient offriction with respect to typical occupant footwear. The composition ofbottom layer 604 is selected for its sound-deadening and yieldabilityqualities.

The total thickness of tray 100 is the sum of dimensions a, b and c. Inthe illustrated embodiment, jacketing layer thicknesses a and c are eachabout 12.5% of the total thickness, while core layer thickness b isabout 75%. In one embodiment, the total thickness of the tray 100 (or,more precisely, of the blank sheet used to mold the tray 100) isapproximately 0.120 inch (0.305 cm). Of this, core layer 602 is about0.09 inch (0.23 cm), while jacketing layers 600 and 604 are each about0.0150 inch (0.038 cm). In an alternative embodiment, the layer 600 canbe made to be appreciably thicker than layer 604, as top surface 606 isa wear surface for the shoes of the occupant and will see more abrasivedirt and more wear than surface 300 in typical applications. In anotheralternative embodiment, the thickness of layer 604 may be increased,allowing it to even better conform to the vehicle foot well surface withwhich it is designed to mate and to increase sound-deadening.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention combines the highcoefficient of friction, tactile qualities, sound-deadening andyieldability obtainable with a thermoplastic elastomer with the modestcost of a polyolefin. To demonstrate the technical advantages of atriextrusion tray over monoextruded prior art structures, testsmeasuring tensile strength, shear strength, flexural modulus andcoefficient of friction were performed on (1) a triextrusion sheetmaterial made and used according to the invention, (2) a monoextrudedsheet of 75 wt. pct. VYRAM®/25 wt. pct. HMPE, and (3) a monoextrudedsheet of 25 wt. pct. VYRAM®/75 wt. pct. HMPE. The particular tests andtheir results are described below.

The first two tests performed concern static and dynamic coefficients offriction.

EXAMPLE 1

These tests determined static and kinetic coefficients of friction of asheet of triextrusion material with respect to an object meant toemulate an typical occupant shoe outsole. This “shoe” was composed ofShore A Durometer 60 neoprene rubber, formed as a “sled” measuring 2.5in. (6.35 cm)×2.5 in. (6.35 cm)×0.238 in. (0.605 cm). The “shoes” weredrawn across an upper, textured surface of a 0.120 in. (0.305 cm)triextrusion sheet formed according to a preferred embodiment of theinvention and measuring 4 in. (10.2 cm)×12 in. (30.5 cm), the testperformed according to the procedure set forth in ASTM D 1894-01. Thetriextrusion sheet had, as its top layer, a blend of 75 wt. pct. VYRAM®Grade 101-75/25 wt. pct. HMPE. The core layer was 75 wt. pct. HMPE/25wt. pct. VYRAM® Grade 101-75. The bottom layer was a blend of 25 wt.pct. HMPE/75 wt. pct. VYRAM® Grade 101-75. The bottom and top layerseach comprised about 12.5% of the sheet thickness while the middle corelayer comprised about 75% of the sheet thickness. Results are tabulatedas follows.

Static Sled Static Kinetic Sled Kinetic Test Load Weight CoefficientLoad Weight Coefficient Number (g) (g) of Friction (g) (g) of Friction 1166 199.9 0.830 189 199.9 0.945 2 155 199.9 0.775 166 199.9 0.830 3 171200.0 0.855 179 200.0 0.895 4 145 199.9 0.725 160 199.9 0.800 5 150199.9 0.750 163 199.9 0.815 Average 0.787 0.857 Std. 0.054 0.061 Dev.

EXAMPLE 2

Five neoprene rubber “sleds” fabricated as above were drawn across a 4in. (10.1 cm)×12 in. (30.5 cm) sheet of a single-extrusion 75 wt. pct.HMPE/25 wt. pct. VYRAM® Grade 101-75, according to ASTM D 1894-01.Results are tabulated below.

Static Sled Static Kinetic Sled Kinetic Test Load Weight CoefficientLoad Weight Coefficient Number (g) (g) of Friction (g) (g) of Friction 1157 200.1 0.785 162 200.1 0.810 2 151 200.0 0.755 148 200.0 0.740 3 163200.1 0.815 170 200.0 0.850 4 146 200.1 0.730 148 200.1 0.740 5 154200.1 0.770 155 200.1 0.775 Average 0.771 0.783 Std. 0.032 0.047 Dev.

The above tests show that with respect to a typical shoe solecomposition, a material consisting mostly of a thermoplastic elastomerlike VYRAMQ® exhibits a higher coefficient of friction than a materialconsisting mostly of a high molecular weight polyolefin.

EXAMPLE 3

These tests compared the tensile strength of a sheet of triextrudedmaterial as above described with a sheet of single-extruded blend ofmaterial consisting of 75 wt. pct. VYRAM®, Grade 101-75, and 25 wt. pct.HMPE, and further with a sheet of a single-extruded blend of material of75 wt. pct. HMPE and 25 wt. pct. VYRAMQ® Grade 101-75. The testedsingle-extruded VYRAMQ®-dominated sheet was approximately 0.070 in.(0.178 cm) thick, while the HMPE-dominated sheet was approximately 0.137in. (0.348 cm) thick. The triextrusion sheet was about 0.120 in. (0.305cm) thick. The triextrusion sheet, the single-extruded VYRAMQ®-dominatedsheet and the single-extruded HMPE-dominated sheet were die-cut intosamples having an average width of 0.250″ 0.635 cm). The test performedwas according to the ASTM D 638-03 testing standard. A cross-head speedof 20 in. (50.8 cm)/min. was used. The extensiometer was set at 1000%based on 1.0″ (2.54 cm) gauge length. Samples were conditioned at 40hours at 23 Celsius and 50% relative humidity prior to testing at theseconditions. Test results are tabulated below.

Tensile Tensile Elonga- Stress Elonga- Tensile Strength tion at tionModulus Test at Yield at Yield Break at Break (Youngs) Number (psi) (%)(psi) (%) (psi) Tri- 1 1680 24 1530 730 30800 Extrusion 2 1710 21 1610710 30100 3 1700 21 1620 730 32200 4 1740 19 1660 770 32700 5 1690 171630 700 24400 Average 1700 20 1610 730 30000 Std. 23 3 48 27 3320 Dev.75% Vyram/ 1 1040 53 1400 620 15900 25% HMPE 2 1010 45 1430 630 17100 31050 98 1390 640 17100 4 1010 62 1430 620 16700 5 1030 88 1420 610 17100Average 1030 69 1410 620 16800 Std. 18 23 18 11 522 Dev. 75% HMPE/ 1 91963 1130 630 30200 25% Vyram 2 914 61 1110 630 34100 3 925 69 1120 65029500 4 910 67 1110 650 21500 5 912 68 1140 700 24000 Average 916 661120 650 27900 Std. 6 3 13 29 5060 Dev.

The above data demonstrate that a triextrusion material according to theinvention exhibits markedly greater tensile strength than athermoplastic elastomer-dominated single-extrusion material. Also ofinterest is that the three-layer laminate exhibited a higher strength atyield and stress at break than the HMPE-dominated material, whileshowing a comparable tensile Young's modulus.

EXAMPLE 4

Tests were performed on the above three materials for shear strengthaccording to Test Standard ASTM D732-02. In these tests, a 1.00 in.(2.54 cm) dia. punch was applied to a 2.0 inch (5.08 cm) square ofmaterial until shear was achieved. The crosshead moved at 0.05 in (0.127cm)/min. The test samples were preconditioned for at least 40 hours at23 Celsius and 50% relative humidity, which were the conditions underwhich the tests were performed. Test results are tabulated below.

Test Thickness Shear Shear Sample Name Number (in.) Force (lbf) Strength(psi) Tri-Extrusion 1 0.119 747 2000 2 0.122 783 2040 3 0.119 747 2000 40.121 757 1990 5 0.117 734 2000 Average 754 2010 Std. Dev. 18 19 75% 10.072 423 1870 VYRAM/ 25% HMPE 2 0.070 416 1890 3 0.073 489 2130 4 0.072481 2130 5 0.073 455 1980 Average 453 2000 Std. Dev. 33 126 75% HMPE/ 10.135 680 1600 25% VYRAM 2 0.137 688 1600 3 0.134 687 1630 4 0.136 7241690 5 0.137 687 1600 Average 693 1620 Std. Dev. 18 39

The above test data show that, as normalized for the differentthicknesses tested, the triextrusion material is similar in shearstrength to the 75% VYRAM/25% HMPE single-extrusion blend, and superiorin shear strength to the 75% HMPE/25% VYRAMQ® single-extrusion blend.

EXAMPLE 5

Tests were performed to determine the flexural properties of samples ofa tri-extrusion material of the above-described formulation, a 75 wt.pct. Vyram/25 wt. pct. HMPE material, and a 75 wt. pct. HMPE/25 wt. pct.VYRAM material (in all tests. the thermoplastic elastomer used wasVYRAMQ® Grade 101-75). The tests were performed according to the ASTMD790-03 test method, Method I, Procedure A. For the tri-extrusion thedimensions of the samples averaged 0.490″ (1.24 cm)×0.119″ (0.302cm)×5.00″ (12.70 cm), the span length was 1.904 in. (4.836 cm), and thecross-head speed was 0.051 in. (0.13 cm)/min. For the 75% Vyram/25% HMPEmaterial, the dimensions of the samples averaged 0.484″ (1.23 cm)×0.072″(0.18 cm)×5.00″ (12.70 cm), the span length was 1.152 in. (2.926 cm),and the cross-head speed was 0.031 in. (0.078 cm)/min. For the 75%HMPE/25% Vyram material, the dimensions of the samples averaged 0.50″(1.27 cm)×0.138″ (0.350 cm)×5.00″ (12.70 cm), the span length was 2.208in. (5.608 cm), and the cross-head speed was 0.059 in (0.150 cm.)/min.In all tests, the span-to-depth ratio was 16+/−1:1, the radius of thesupports was 0.197 in. (0.500 cm), and the radius of the loading nosewas 0.197 in. (0.500 cm) The tests were performed at 23 Celsius and 50%relative humidity and the samples conditioned for 40 hours at thistemperature and humidity before the tests were performed. Results aretabulated below.

Flexural Stress At 5% Deflection Flexural Modulus Sample Name TestNumber (psi) (tangent*) (psi) Triextrusion 1 294 33400 2 317 36000 3 30433500 4 318 35700 5 305 33200 Average 308 34400 Std. Dev. 75% Vyram/ 1234 15400 25% HMPE 2 238 16400 3 230 14500 4 225 14300 5 228 14300Average 231 15000 Std. Dev. 5 915 75% HMPE/ 1 508 13000 25% Vyram 2 50513800 3 496 13100 4 497 12900 5 518 13800 Average 505 13300 Std. Dev. 9444

The asterisk in the table indicates that the reported values werearrived at by computer generated curve fit. These data show that thetriextrusion is significantly stiffer than either monoextruded sheet.Overall, the triextrusion demonstrates superior properties in terms oftensile strength, shear strength and stiffness per unit cross-sectionalarea in comparison with that of any of the layers of materials fromwhich the laminate is made, demonstrating that a triextruded tray or matwill be tougher and stiffer than one made of either monoextruded blendby itself.

Process

FIGS. 7 and 8 provide an overview of a first process for making thevehicle floor trays or covers according to the invention. The vehiclefloor trays and covers are custom-fabricated for discrete vehiclemodels. At step 700, points on the vehicle foot well for which the floortray is to be manufactured are digitally measured and captured.Preferably this step uses a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) whichrecords each of a large plurality of points on the surface of thevehicle foot well to which the floor tray is to be fitted. The inventorhas found that a FARO® Arm has been efficacious in obtaining these datausing a contact method. It has been found that laying out points inlinear groups, as by marking the locations to be measured on tape priorto measurement, is efficacious in capturing enough data points to laterrecreate the surface of which they are a part.

The data thus collected are stored in a file. The points of surface dataare spaced from each other as a function of the complexity of thesurface on which they reside. Few points of data are needed to establishlarge surface planes. More points of data are used in defining curvedsurfaces, with the density of data points varying according to thesharpness of the curve. In FIG. 8, representative ones of these pointsare shown by small “x”s at 800, on a surface 802 that is reconstitutedor modeled using the technique described immediately below. A typicaldata file will contain about a thousand points, spread over an imagedfoot well surface area of about ten square feet (one m²).

The CMM data file is imported into a CAD program, which is used by adesigner to reconstitute a vehicle foot well surface from the capturedpoints. First, at step 701 different “lines” of these points areconnected together by B-splines 804. The splines 804, which the CADprogram can automatically generate, are used to estimate all of thepoints on the line other than the captured data points of that line. Thesplines 804 are separated apart from each other as a function of thetopographical complexity of the portion of the surface that they cover.For large flat areas, such as sill plate 806, the splines 804 may be farapart, as a plane between the splines is a good estimate of the surfacein that area. For complex or tightly curved areas, such as sill curve832 or kick plate transitional area 833, the splines 804 are tightlypacked together because the surface segments have to be small in orderto reproduce those curved surfaces of the foot well with acceptableaccuracy.

Once the splines 804 have been assembled, the designer lofts an areabetween each pair of parallel splines 804 in order to create differentareal segments 808. The “lofting” process proceeds along each of themajor surfaces of the part, piecewise, until that surface is entirelyrecreated. For example, a transmission tunnel sidewall surface 810 isrecreated by lofting an area 812 between a spline 814 to an adjacentspline 816 along the same surface. The designer then lofts the next area818 from spline 816 to spline 820. Next, an area 822 from spline 820 tospline 824 is added, and so forth down the rest of the transmissiontunnel surface 810 until that entire component of the vehicle foot wellsurface has been created. In similar fashion, the other major surfacesare added: a combination firewall/floor area segment 826, a pedestalsidewall 828, a kick plate segment 830, a sill plate curve 832 and thesill plate 806.

The resultant reconstructed vehicle foot well surface 802 is used, atsteps 703-707, 709, 711, to construct a vehicle floor tray that fits thesurface 802 to an enhanced degree of precision. At step 703, thedesigner chooses top and bottom sketch planes, which intersect thesurface 802 at the top and bottom elevations of the tray to be designed.A top sketch plane intersects surface 802 at a locus high up on thesidewalls 810, 828, 830, 832 and 834. This locus is seen in FIG. 1 as atop margin 150 of the upstanding sidewalls 130, 132, 134, 136 and thetransitions between them. In the preferred embodiment, the top sketchplane is tilted and inclines upward in a forward direction. Thisproduces a tray which is deeper near the firewall than it is near theseat, preferably producing a tray that is at least four inches (10.1 cm)and in some embodiments five inches (12.7 cm) deep at its deepest part.This protects the foot well carpet from the possibly muddy sides of anoccupant's shoes or boots. A bottom sketch plane is defined to becoplanar with the bottom surface tray sill plate 140, spaced from thevehicle foot well sill plate 806 by a tight tolerance, such as 0.025″(0.064 cm). This bottom sketch plane does not intersect the remainder ofthe structure but is instead projected upward onto the vehicle foot wellsurface to create a locus that approximates the marginal outline of thefloor/firewall segment 826.

At step 704, sidewalls are drawn in to span the top and bottom sketchplanes. These prototypical sidewalls are created by first drawing aplurality of straight lines, each drawn from a point on the upper sketchplane locus to a point on the lower sketch plane locus. Since the uppersketch plane is more extensive and has a different shape from the lowersketch plane, the lateral margins of the upper and lower sketch planesare not congruent, and the straight lines drawn from the upper sketchplane may be canted at various angles to each other. In general, theselines will slope inwardly from the top sketch plane to the bottom sketchplane. The areas in between these lines can be lofted to createpolygonal surfaces of a completed tray solid.

The resultant solid has a planar top surface, nearly planar bottomsurface and sidewalls which make abrupt corners with them. The actualtransitions between the vehicle foot well sidewall surfaces and thefloor are almost always curved, to a greater or lesser extent dependingon the area in question and on the vehicle model. Therefore, at step705, curves are fitted to the reconstructed vehicle foot well surfaceand these curves are substituted in for the previous abrupt angularshapes. The largest of these curves occurs across the firewall 834, toconform to that sloping and typically curved surface rather than to ahorizontal extension of the bottom sketch plane. Curves are also used tomodify the transitions between the floor 102 and the transmission tunnelsurface 132, the kick plate 136, and the seat pedestal sidewall 130.

The above techniques aim to approximate, as closely as possible, theshape of the upstanding sidewalls 810, 828, 830 and 834, to a zerostandoff from the foot well surface. In some instances, the outersurface of the tray 100 may actually extend slightly beyond the imagedside walls of the vehicle foot well (see portions 1000-1006 in FIGS.10-14), creating a negative standoff. This is permissible to some degreebecause the surface to which the tray is being shaped is carpeted andthe pile may be intentionally depressed at certain points.

The door sill 806 and the sill curve 832 typically are hard surfacesthat must comply to close manufacturer tolerances. A vehicle door isdesigned to mate with these surfaces. Because of this it is important tomatch these surfaces carefully, and preferably this is done in thisprocess to a preselected standoff of 0.025 inch (0.064 cm).

At step 704, and for certain vehicle models, certain radii of thetransitional surfaces are increased, in an intentional departure fromthe foot well surface. This is done, for example, where the curvedtransition is one from a deep vertical surface to the floor, as mightoccur between a vertical kick plate and firewall surface segments 836,838. See transition 1400 in FIG. 14. This is done to make sure that thepreferred vacuum molding process, which uses a female tool, does notcreate a thin place in the molded part at the deep corners. Where thesidewall surfaces are sloped inward by more than five degrees, suchradiusing is unnecessary.

At step 707, which can be before, during or after steps 704 and 705, thetray solid is additionally modified to take into account irregularitiesin the reconstructed foot well surface. For example, the vehiclecarpeting might have had rolls or wrinkles in it that should not bereproduced in a tray meant to fit the vehicle. This step also smoothesout those surface irregularities which are artifacts of the surfaceacquisition and reconstruction steps 700-702.

Once a basic shape for the vehicle floor tray has been formed, it ismodified at 709 in order to create the reservoir 110 and channels 104(See FIGS. 1-4). This modification is necessary because, as has beenexplained, while there is a close conformance or mating between most ofthe exterior or lower surfaces of the floor tray on the one hand to theupper or interior surfaces of the vehicle foot well surfaces on theother, in this embodiment there must be a departure from this closeconformance in order to create the profile needed by the reservoir andchannels. In a preferred embodiment, a predetermined file containing theouter surface of the reservoir and channel surface is integrated intothe floor of the tray solid. The importation of this design into thefloor of the tray solid will cause a departure from the imaged vehiclesurface floor of as much as ¼ inch (0.64 cm) in the areas around thereservoir periphery. This departure decreases as a function of distancefrom the imported pattern. The produced vehicle floor tray willnonetheless fit tightly to the vehicle foot well, because (1) the floorcarpeting will be depressed to a greater extent under the reservoir thanin peripheral areas (see, e.g., region 1004 in FIG. 10), and (2) theupstanding sidewalls continue to closely conform to the correspondingsurfaces of the vehicle foot well.

At step 711, and for the purpose of generating the SLA model orprototype as discussed below, the tray solid developed at steps 703-707,709 is “shelled”. This means that the solid is carved out to leave athin layer that is a uniform thickness (preferably about 0.120-0.125in.) from the outer surface.

The result is a tray data file 708 that is a complete representation ofboth the upper and lower surfaces of the floor tray, to a precisionsufficient to create only a ⅛ in. (0.317 cm) departure or less from alarge portion of the respective surfaces of the vehicle foot well. Thisdata file, typically as translated into a .stl format that approximatessurfaces with a large plurality of small triangles, is used at 710 tocommand a stereolithographic apparatus (SLA). The SLA creates a solidplastic image, model or prototype of the design by selectively curingliquid photopolymer using a laser. The SLA prototype is used todetermine fit to an actual vehicle foot well and to make any necessaryadjustments.

As modified with experience gained from fitting the SLA prototype, at712 the unshelled vehicle tray data file (defining only a lower or outersurface of the floor tray) is used to make a commercial female vacuummold for producing the vehicle floor trays or covers. Triextruded sheetsor blanks 714 are placed in the mold and heated to produce the vehiclefloor trays at 716.

Three-dimensional vehicle floor trays for many different vehicle modelscan be quickly and accurately manufactured using this method. The methodcan also be modified to produce double trays, in which a single tray isprovided which covers both driver and passenger vehicle foot wells aswell as the intervening transmission tunnel. The technique can be usedto create other vehicle floor covers as well, such as second-row traysand the liners used in the cargo areas of minivans and SUVs.

FIGS. 15-24 illustrate a representative vehicle floor tray 1500 for adifferent model vehicle than the one shown in FIGS. 1-14, and made by asomewhat different method. As before, tray 1500 preferably is anintegral piece that has been molded from a flat blank of thermoplastic,preferably triextruded material of substantially uniform thickness, inthis illustrated embodiment 0.125 inches (0.317 cm) or 0.120 inches(0.305 cm). The tray 1500 has a lower surface 1502 and an upper surface1504. The tray 1500 is generally oriented in a fore-and-aft directionalong axis 1506, which is parallel to the direction of travel of thevehicle. The illustrated tray 1500 has a floor portion 1508 andupstanding, peripheral side walls 1510, 1512, 1514 and 1516.

The upper surface 1504 of the tray 1500 has a reservoir 1522, into whichempty a plurality of substantially parallel, elongate, longitudinallyoriented channels 1524. The lateral extent of reservoir 1522 is definedby a circumferential boundary wall 1526. The wall 1526 has apredetermined depth between the adjoining portions of upper tray generalsurface 1504, and the upper surface 1528 of the floor tray within thereservoir 1522 (upper surface 1528 forming the reservoir “bottom”). Thisdepth or step is preferably 0.25 inches (0.635 cm), but can be as littleas 0.050 inches (0.127 cm). The reservoir is positioned within the afttwo-thirds of the tray, toward the seat rather than toward the firewall,and preferably within the aft one-half thereof. The reservoir willoccupy between ten and fifty percent of the upper tray surface 1504,more typically about 25%-45%. The shape and extent of the reservoir 1524will vary substantially from one model of vehicle to the next. It ispreferred that the reservoir boundary be laterally displaced from theaft inside wall 1510 and any structures to the sides; in a particularlypreferred embodiment, the boundary of the reservoir is no closer to amargin of the tray than a predetermined setoff.

Each of the bottoms 1530 of the channels 1524 is depressed from thegeneral tray upper surface 1504 by a preselected, preferably uniformdepth that is chosen to be smaller than the depth of the reservoir wall1526. Preferably, this depth is selected to be 0.125 in. (0.317 cm). Asbefore, the reservoir 1522 has a plurality of upstanding combinationtreads and baffles 1532, most or all of which have both a longitudinalportion 1534 and a transverse portion 1536 joined to the longitudinalportion 1534, positioned so as to retard the sloshing about of fluidwhich has drained into the reservoir.

The lower surface 1502 of the tray 1500 substantially conforms to acaptured model of the surface of the vehicle foot well for which it iscustom-designed. Almost all points on the lower surface of tray 1500 areno more than 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) from the closest point on the model, andin most instances is much closer than this, such as 0.25 inch (0.635 cm)or 0.125 inch (0.317 cm). In FIGS. 15 and 16, there are shown shadedportions 1538, 1540 at which the lower surface is not within apredetermined tolerance of ⅛ in. (0.317 cm) from a digitally capturedand stored model of the vehicle foot well surface, once this model issuperimposed upon the lower surface 1502 of the tray to achieve its bestfit thereto. The nonshaded portions (a majority of the tray lowersurface) are within this tolerance. It is preferred that at least ninetypercent of the tray lower surface 1502 be within 0.25 in. (0.635 cm) ofthe vehicle floor image, and that at least fifty percent of the traylower surface be within 0.125 in. (0.317 cm) of the vehicle floor image.The vehicle foot well surface model itself is not shown in FIGS. 15 and16. The out-of tolerance portions typically include regions 1538 at thedeep corners of the floor 1508 and walls such as walls 1516 and 1512,and regions 1540 which are adjacent to the reservoir 1522 and some ofthe channels 1524. Regions 1538 are intentional departures from a tighttolerance in order to address difficulties of molding deep, verticalwalls. Regions 1540 result from including channels 1524, ribs 1532 andthe reservoir 1522 into a part which has a substantially uniform sheetthickness.

FIGS. 17 and 18 show the same tray 1500, but with shaded regions 1700,1702 that do not conform to a preselected, looser tolerance such as ¼in. (0.635 cm), the lower surface 1502 of the rest of the tray 1500coming within this tolerance relative to the vehicle foot well surfacemodel (not directly shown in these FIGUREs). Note that the out-oftolerance regions are much reduced in size from the shaded regions1538-1540 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

FIGS. 19-22 are sectional views of the tray 1500 taken on variouslongitudinal and transverse planes. In each case, the tray 1500 is shownas superimposed on a vehicle foot well surface model 1900, shown inthese sectional views as a single continuous curved line. Thesuperimposition is done such that the mathematical construct or model1900 of the vehicle foot well surface, which is derived from a CMMcapture of the surface as it exists in an actual vehicle, is best fittedto the lower tray surface 1502. As well be later explained inconjunction with FIGS. 23 and 24, this best-fit superimposition resultsin some portions of the vehicle floor tray lower surface 1502 beingabove the model surface 1900, while other portions are below, or ininterference or negative standoff with, the model surface 1900.

FIG. 19 in particular is a transverse section of the tray 1500 takenforwardly of the reservoir 1522, so as to cut through the longitudinalchannels 1524. Because in a preferred embodiment the tray 1500 is formedfrom a blank of thermoplastic material of substantially uniformthickness, and because this blank is heated and sucked into a femalemold in forming the tray, the shape of the upper surface 1504 is alwaysa reflection of the shape of the lower surface 1502. Therefore, beneatheach channel bottom 1530 is a lower surface portion 1902 that is offsetfrom the general lower surface 1502 by a distance which is the same asthe depth of the channel 1524. In the illustrated embodiment, thisdistance is ⅛ inch (0.317 cm) and in other embodiments the distance is0.120 inch (0.305 cm).

When the vehicle foot well surface model 1900 is best-fit to the lowertray surface 1502, there is a tendency for the lower surface portions1902 to be very near or displaced below the mathematical model surface1900, while the other portions of the tray lower surface 1502 will bedisposed at or above the model surface 1900. In this particularsectional view, the tray lower surface 1502 is at or above the floormodel 1900. As before, the surface 1900 is captured from a CMMmeasurement of a layer of carpet pile, a yieldable layer which, when amat, tray or other substantial load is placed on it, will have atendency to compress in some places but not in others. The realizationthat carpet pile is yieldable (rather than a hard surface to which exactconformance is optimally required) permits the design of a floor tray,to be fashioned from a blank of thermoplastic material of substantiallyuniform thickness, that fits well to the foot wells of actual vehicles,and which at the same time includes desirable, deep upper surfacefeatures such as channels 1524, reservoir 1522 and treads 1532. As isillustrated in FIGS. 23 and 24, the process according to the inventionintentionally creates regions of negative standoff or interferencerelative to the carpeted vehicle surface 1900. The process takesadvantage of the vehicle carpet's properties of selective and localcompressibility to create a better-fitting tray which nonethelessincorporates desirable features such as a fluid reservoir and runoffchannels.

The section shown in FIG. 20 is taken in a transverse or side-to-sidedirection across the reservoir 1522. FIG. 20A is a magnified detail ofFIG. 20 which better illustrates the relationship of the lower and uppertray surfaces 1502, 1504 to the vehicle floor model horizon 1900. Thedepression of reservoir “bottom” 1528 below the general upper surface1504 of the tray 1500 is the result of a relatively depressed portion2000 of the lower tray surface relative to the general lower traysurface 1502. In the illustrated embodiment, the amount of thisdepression is about 0.25 inches (0.635 cm). When the vehicle foot wellsurface model 1900 is superimposed on the tray 1500 such that a best fitis achieved, the depressed portions 2000 will typically be below, or ininterference with, the horizon of the model 1900. Lower surface portions2002, which are directly underneath longitudinal rib portions 1534, willbe disposed closer to the mathematical surface 1900 and in certaininstances will ride above it (not shown in this FIGURE; see regions 2300in FIGS. 23 and 24). When the tray 1500 is fitted to an actual carpetedvehicle floor, the carpet pile (and any padding underneath) will beselectively compressed underneath portions 2000 but not as muchunderneath portions 2002. Most of the illustrated departure of surface1502 from reconstructed surface 1900 will disappear.

FIG. 21 is a longitudinal section taken along a channel 1524 and alongitudinal rib portion 1534 (in the illustrated embodiments, thesestructures are intentionally aligned, so that the force of any runoff ina channel 1524 is broken by a tread 1534). This section and its detailsFIGS. 21A and 21B show the close conformance of the general lowersurface 1502 of the tray 1500 to the mathematically reconstructedvehicle foot well surface model 1900. FIG. 21A in particular is a detailincluding the forward reservoir wall 1526. It can be seen that the modelsurface 1900 is located above the reservoir bottom 1528 in thissectional plane. The model surface is otherwise very close to the traylower surface 1502 underneath channel 1524 and rib or tread 1534.

FIG. 21B details a region including the forward end of channel 1524 andthe transition of the tray 1500 from the floor to the firewall. As canbe seen, the vehicle floor surface model 1900 goes through the lowersurface 1502 and even the upper surface 1504 as one climbs the forwardpanel 1514. This intentional negative standoff will compress thecarpeting of the vehicle floor at this point and desirably create a verytight fit in the area of the accelerator and brake pedals.

FIG. 22 is a longitudinal section taken through tray 1500 andsuperimposed foot well surface model 1900 between channels and 1524 andbetween treads 1532. As is best seen in the detail, on this sectionalplane the reservoir bottom 1528 is located below the mathematicalsurface 1900 when surface 1900 is best-fit to the tray 1500, whilegeneral lower tray surface 1502, in the area forward of the reservoir1522, rides above this model surface.

FIGS. 23 and 24 are isometric views, from different angles of the tray1500 as superimposed on the vehicle foot well model surface 1900, suchthat a best fit between the two is obtained. The outer margins of thesurface model 1900 are seen. Within the lateral boundaries of tray 1500,the shading indicates where model surface 1900 is in “negative standoff”with respect to the tray lower surface 1502. These areas include most ofthe reservoir 1522 but also most of forward panel 1514, where aparticularly tight fit is desired.

In a second process according to the invention, and referring to FIG.25, at step 2500 a vehicle foot well surface model 1900 is acquired in amanner similar to the steps described in conjunction with FIG. 7. Themethod used to acquire the data on which this model is built preferablyis one which does not compress the surface being measured, which usuallyis vehicle carpet pile. This may be done by employing a laser CMMmachine.

At step 2502, the vehicle foot well surface model 1900 is used toconstruct a beginning lower tray surface, as by use of B-splines andlofting. At a step 2504, a top sketch plane is selected. This sketchplane will form the top margin of the tray. As before, it is preferredto cant this sketch plane forwardly and upwardly, such that theresultant tray is deeper near the fire wall than it is adjacent the seatpedestal. Canting the top sketch plane in this way creates enhancedprotection of the vehicle foot well sides while at the same timeensuring that the tray does not interfere with the adjustment of theseat by sliding the seat forward and backward atop its pedestal.

This lower tray surface, which starts as an exact replication of thesurface model 1900, is then modified in each of several ways. First, atstep 2506, any vertical walls that are more than a predetermined depth(such as the kick plate) are angled inwardly from the top margin to thefloor by a draft so that they are no longer vertical, and so that theycan be replicated by the preferred female vacuum molding process withoutunacceptable thinning. At step 2508, any sharp corners in the initiallower surface 2502 are radiussed, and surface irregularities (such asmight be caused by carpet wrinkles) are smoothed out.

At step 2510, the size, shape and position of the reservoir on the trayis determined, along with the size, shape and position of the ribs ortreads within the reservoir. In one embodiment, the reservoir, and thetreads or baffles within it, have a substantially uniform appearancefrom one vehicle model to the next. A prestored electronic file may beused which contains a basic reservoir shape, which is then altered inorder to fit the vehicle foot well in question. For example, thereservoir may be chosen to always have a convexly arcuate front wall(see, e.g., wall 1526 in FIG. 15) and the tread spacing and shape may beheld to be uniform. Preferably, however, the reservoir will have rearand other margins that are laterally offset by a predetermined amountfrom the edge of the floor tray, and this requires modification of theprestored reservoir template to fit the vehicle model in question.

Once the lateral boundaries of the reservoir have been fixed, at 2512the general lower tray surface is down-projected orthogonally by auniform step (such as 0.25 in. (0.635 cm), but in any case by at least0.05 in. (0.127 cm) to create lower surfaces 2000 which will define thereservoir “bottom” 1528 once the molding process is completed. As seenfor example in FIG. 20A, the down-projected bottom surface portions 2000are, in any sectional direction, two sheet thicknesses wider than thefeatures in the upper surface 1504 that they will create. Thedown-projected portions 2000 are therefore dimensioned to be two sheetthicknesses wider than the thickness of the corresponding “valleys” inthe reservoir floor 1528 which will result. Concomitantly, the portions2002 underneath the ribs 1534 are two sheet thicknesses thinner than thelateral thickness of the ribs 1534 themselves.

At step 2514 in FIG. 25, the channels 1524 are similarly characterizedand placed. In a preferred embodiment, the spacing and depth of thechannels 1524 are held to be uniform from one vehicle style to the next,and therefore these details can be pre-stored as an electronic template.In one embodiment, the electronic template that stores the basicreservoir shape can also store the basic array of channels 1524, as theymate with the reservoir in the same way from one vehicle model to thenext.

While the spacing, width and parallelism of the channels 1524 is held tobe much the same, the forward area of upper surface 1504 that they coverwill vary greatly from one vehicle to the next. The length of thechannels 1524, and the positioning of their forward ends, therefore haveto be custom-chosen. As in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-14, and atstep 2516, for the left-hand-side (driver's) tray, a circle of spacenear the accelerator peddle is kept clear of the channels 1524 in orderto prevent any possibility of “heel trap.”

At step 2518, the properly specified channels 1524 are “down projected”from the general tray bottom surface 1502 by a specified, and preferablyconstant, amount to create down-projected portions 1902. Preferably,this amount is specified as being smaller than the amount ofdown-projection used to create reservoir bottom 1528, such as 0.125 in.(0.317 cm) where the reservoir depth is 0.25 in. (0.635 cm) As best seenin FIG. 20A, these down-projected portions 1902 intentionally are madelaterally wider than the width of the channels 1524 that they willcreate. The difference between the width of a down-projected portion1902 and a corresponding channel 1524 is about two thicknesses of thesheet blank that will be used to form the part. This down-projectionstep will complete a draft or trial file 2520 for the lower surface ofthe part.

At step 2522, an SLA file is created from the draft or trial file. Thedraft or trial file 2520 only needs to have a lower surface, as thefeatures of the upper surface are created automatically by thethermoplastic conformance of the sheet blank into the one-sided femalemold. The SLA file, on the other hand, has an upper surface that must beseparately specified. This can be done, for example, by “shelling” thepart surface to create the upper part surface, as by upwardly andinwardly projecting the lower part surface by an amount equal to the SLAsheet thickness.

Using the SLA file, at step 2524 a prototype is made and is test-fitinto the vehicle foot well, and any necessary modifications are made.The final file results at step 2526. The final file is used to createthe internal surface of the female mold at step 2528. At step 2530,sheets or blanks of thermoplastic material, of uniform thickness andpreferably tri-extruded according to the process described earlierherein, are fed to the vacuum mold 2528. Three-dimensional trays 1500result. The sheets or blanks at step 2530 may have a hair-cell or othertextured pattern imprinted into their top surface prior to molding. Thispattern persists despite the thermoplastic conformance of the sheet intothe hills and valleys of the mold.

In summary, novel vehicle floor trays have been shown and describedwhich fit, within tight tolerances, to the vehicle foot well for whichthey are created. The floor tray according to the invention includes areservoir and channel system for retaining runoff in a way that will notslosh around in the foot well. By using a triextruded sheet blank, thetray combines the desirable coefficient of friction and yieldabilitycharacteristics of a thermoplastic elastomer, the lower cost of apolyolefin and a toughness that exceeds either material taken alone. Useof an initial captured image of the vehicle foot well to electronicallyshape the lower surface of the floor tray results in better fit. Usingnegative standoff to take advantage of vehicle carpeting's property ofselective compressibility permits the creation of a reservoir, channelsand tight-gripping surfaces in the molded part.

While illustrated embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed and illustrated in the appended drawings, the presentinvention is not limited thereto but only by the scope and spirit of theappended claims.

1. A system including a vehicle and a removable tray for a foot well ofthe vehicle, comprising: a vehicle foot well having a surface includinga floor, an upstanding generally longitudinal first wall extendingupward from the floor, an upstanding generally transverse second wallextending from the floor and substantially formed at an angle to thefirst wall, the foot well being generally arranged in a longitudinal orfore and aft direction substantially parallel to a direction of travelof the vehicle; a vehicle foot well surface model which replicates thevehicle foot well surface; a tray formed of polymeric material forfitting into the vehicle foot well and having an upper surface and alower surface, at least ninety percent of the lower surface of the traybeing within 0.25 inch (0.635 cm) of the vehicle foot well surface modelwhen the vehicle foot well surface model is mathematically superimposedto best fit the lower surface of the tray; a reservoir formed in theupper surface of the tray to be located within an aft two-thirds of theupper surface of the tray and to occupy an area between ten and fiftypercent of the upper surface of the tray, a circumferential walldefining a lateral boundary of the reservoir, the wall having a depth ofat least 0.050 inches (0.0127 cm); and the tray having a floor, anupstanding generally longitudinally oriented first wall of the trayextending from the floor and substantially conforming to said first wallof the vehicle foot well, an upstanding generally transversely orientedsecond wall of the tray extending from the floor of the tray andsubstantially conforming to said second wall of the vehicle foot well.2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least fifty percent of the lowersurface of the tray is within 0.125 inch (0.317 cm) of the vehicle footwell surface model when the model is superimposed to best fit the lowersurface of the tray.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein a depth of saidfirst wall of the tray as measured from the top margin to the floor isat least four inches (10.1 cm) at its deepest part.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, wherein an outside surface of the first wall of the tray facesa transmission tunnel of the vehicle.
 5. The system of claim 1, whereinan outside surface of the first wall of the tray faces a kick plate ofthe vehicle foot well.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein an outsidesurface of the second wall of the tray faces a firewall of the vehiclefoot well.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein an outside surface of thesecond wall of the tray faces a seat pedestal of the vehicle foot wellor a surface of a vehicle seat.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein atleast one of the vehicle foot well surfaces is a curved surface, anoutside surface of a respective upstanding wall of the tray being aconforming curved surface.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein at leastone of said curved surfaces contain both concave and convex curves. 10.The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle foot well surface model is adigital, machine-readable record.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein thevehicle foot well surface is a compressible surface, the modelreplicating the vehicle foot well surface as it exists in asubstantially uncompressed condition, the vehicle foot well surfacebeing selectively compressed by the tray once the tray is installed inthe vehicle.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the circumferential wallhas a depth of about 0.25 inches (0.635 cm).
 13. The system of claim 1,wherein a portion of the floor tray lower surface beneath the reservoiris a projection of the corresponding foot well surface.
 14. The systemof claim 1, wherein a plurality of generally longitudinally oriented,elongate and generally parallel channels are formed in the upper surfaceof the tray to terminate at the reservoir, each channel having a depthwhich is less than the depth of the circumferential wall of thereservoir.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein portions of the floortray surface beneath the channels are projections of respective portionsof the vehicle foot well surface.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein,when the vehicle foot well surface model is superimposed on the tray toachieve a best fit thereto, portions of vehicle foot well surface modelare in negative standoff relative to the bottom surface of the tray.